if you are looking for something that is imaginative, page turning and i guess dark fantasy these two books are the first in trilogies that are very worth while if you're wanting to fritter away a few hours on the beach, on a flight or just the bus, i read them very quickly and enjoyed the stories, they were not particularly challenging or demanding but riveting.
the writers are good and there was some remarkable surprises in both novels.
both are about young boys, old before their time, violent and in perpetual combat. there's elements of the supernatural and both have just enough humour to make them interesting.